Based on the assumption that the impact of rape is felt not only by the victim, her family and friends, but also by members of her community who hear of the crime, this research examines: 1) attitudes about rape; 2) how those attitudes are related to the day-to-day behavior of women in the contexts of specific communities; and 3) how those attitudes and behaviors are related to attitudes toward one's community and oneself. More specifically, the research is focused on the relationship among concern, fear, assessments of risk of rape, and the use by women of avoidance and mobilization strategies. Mediating variables include victimization, locus of control, sources of information about rape and degree of involvement in the community. A multimethodological approach includes telephone interviews with a total of 3600 women and 960 men selected through random-digit dialing in three cities (Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco); in-person, paid, follow-up interviews with approximately 500 women and 120 men from those interviewed on the phone; limited fieldwork in specific communities; and newspaper content analysis. The findings are expected to suggest preventive efforts that do not further limit the quality of women's lives.